Rating: 
Summary: Intellectual culture = Ambiguity ?
Review: When does a broke philosophy teacher with a pregnant mistress attain the age of reason ? How can "philosophy" (read higher consciousness), "freedom" (read utopia), and "a life that doesn't cause misery to oneself and others" coexist ? Is that at all possible ?
Sartre ponders upon these questions as does Mathieu, the central character of this book. Mathieu is obsessed with the idea of freedom and does not want to lose it at any cost. On one hand he refuses to marry his mistress of 7 years and on the other, he refuses to join the Communist party when asked by his best friend. Sartre examines the ambiguity of freedom and philosophical formulas at a time when the need for collective effort and active involvement was acute.
The dialogues between Mathieu and other characters - his friends,his brother, his mistress are engaging. Still, at times the book seems a drag but I guess that is because Sartre is painstakingly descriptive about some of the "vacant" characters. Sartre does not come to any conclusion in this book (of course, its the first in the trilogy), yet does not leave the reader unsatisfied(you know what I mean). Personally I didn't find Sartre's ideas in this book to be either original or truly brilliant. What I love about the book is the writing. Miracle words, poetry in one page, brute force in the other.
Read it once.
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